Working in the Right-of-Way

What is the Right-of-Way? The right-of-way generally extends 11 feet from the back of curb or edge of street pavement towards the adjacent property in residential areas. Larger roadways may have larger right-of-way areas.

Rules & Maintenance
While this
area is owned by the City of Liberty, by ordinance it is to be
maintained by the property owner. The City has the right to use and
regulate what happens in this area. For example, unapproved signs, sight
obstructions, and basketball goals are not allowed. City Code
Enforcement removes illegal signs from the right-of-way. Sidewalks are
placed in the right-of-way for safe passage of pedestrian traffic.

Work PermitA permit must be obtained prior to any work performed in the right-of-way. This work may include, but is not limited to:

Replacing a:

Sidewalk

Curb

Driveway

Driveway culvert

Plumbing

Other repairs

Fee & Permit Expiration
The fee for permit and inspection of right-of-way work is $45 and is
issued through the office of the City Engineer; the permit shall expire
after 60 days from the date of issuance.

Processing Time
Allow at least 24 hours for permit processing.

Requirements
All persons and entities maintaining, constructing, or installing
facilities are required to maintain an up-to-date City occupational
license and up-to-date liability insurance conforming to the
requirements as detailed in the City Right-of-Way Ordinance passed
January 25, 2010 and revised January 28, 2013. Section 25-39 of the
Right-of-Way Ordinance allows right-of-way users to file an affidavit of
$25 million in net assets in lieu of the right-of-way performance and
maintenance bond.

Revision
By City ordinance passed January 28, 2013, the term of the performance
and maintenance bond has been revised to 2 years from the previous
4-year term requirement. Contractors may provide a $50,000 annual bond
good for all right-of-way work for the calendar year, or a $5,000 permit
specific bond.

Private Street Plate Bridging (SPB)

Any
person with a Right-of-Way Permit is authorized to use Street Plate
Bridging (SPB) to cover open excavations, prior to backfill and
restoring the street surface suitable for public use.

Embedded SPB are required during the months of December through February.

SPB shall be marked with the owner's name and telephone number.

A "Bump Ahead" warning sign (WP-1) shall be placed at least 300 feet before the SPB.

A City SPB permit must be obtained for a fee of $25 as part of a right-of-way permit application.

For
the first 21 days there will be no additional daily permit fee. A daily
permit fee of $50 shall be imposed commencing on the 22nd day after the
SPB permit issuance and each day thereafter.

If the SPB is
placed prior to obtaining a permit, the permit application fee shall be
$100 and the daily permit fee begins immediately and will be doubled.

Installing an Irrigation System in the Right of WayContractors
installing an irrigation system in the public right of way must obtain
an occupation license in the City of Liberty and apply for both a
building permit (lawn sprinkler system permit) and a right of way
permit. By City ordinance passed January 28, 2013, a Release for Lawn
Sprinkler System waiver needs to be signed and notarized by each
property owner on the deed when applying for an irrigation permit.
Backflow devices must be inspected by the City.

Right-of-Way Damage Report When
a building permit application is submitted for a new residential or
commercial structure, a completed Right-of-Way Damage Report is required
for approval. This form allows the contractor to note any pre-existing
damage to:

Curbs

Drive approaches

Hydrants

Manholes

Sidewalks

Streets

Swales

Utility equipment

Water meters

Water valves

Yard inlets

At the completion of the project, the City inspects the construction
area and any damage not reported on the form is required to be repaired
prior to finalization of the permit.

Sight Obstructions Structures,
trees, bushes and other landscaping that obstruct the vision of drivers
are not allowed. Property owners may be cited for a code violation if
objects in the right-of-way on their property are interfering with
traffic safety. For information on sight obstructions, contact the City
Engineer's Office.

Utilities & Easements What Are Utility Easements?
A utility easement may or may not be in the right-of-way. These are areas where the utility (i.e., gas company, power utility, cable company, etc.) has permission to enter a property to install and maintain utility facilities.

Physical Utility Location
Before
digging in the right-of-way or in your own yard, you are required to
contact the appropriate parties for utility line locations. This is to
ensure the utilities are identified so that an appropriate distance may
be maintained during excavation for the safety of all. Those parties are
DIG RITE (800-344-7483) and City of Liberty Water and Sewer Division,
816-439-4514. Both of these parties will need 3 working days
notification prior to digging.

Paper Utility Location for Planning Each utility maintains its own records as to the location of their utility. Contact numbers for each utility are listed below:

Company

Utility

Phone Number

DIG RITE Missouri One Call

Utility Locating Service

1-800-DIG-RITE (800-344-7483) or 811

KCP&L

Electric Power Lines

816-471-KCPL (5275) or888-471-KCPL (5275)

BP Pipeline

Gasoline Pipeline

800-548-6482

City of Liberty

Water and Sewer Lines

816-439-4517

Missouri Gas Energy

Natural Gas Lines

816-756-5252

AT&T

Telephone Lines

877-618-9496

Time Warner

Cable TV Lines

816-358-8833

Colors Used to Identify Utility Locations From time to time you may see lines painted on the street in front of your property or on the property itself. These are most likely utility locations and a contractor or possibly your neighbor may have requested the locations. The colors have a distinct meaning: